Monster Hunter

"Excellence"

I admit, after playing this game for a few hours offline I was ready to put it down. It was painfully hard to progress in this game, and it seemed like I'd just wasted 50 dollars. What I've come to realize now is that this game has saved me money. I haven't had to buy another game for months because I'm so hooked that the hype of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater completely escapes me. You may take a look at this game and decide it's not for you, but I can guarantee that you'll change your mind if you give it a second chance. This game has given me over 300 hours, and even as I write this review I have not stopped playing.

Plot: 4/10

This game's plot is virtually nonexistent, online and off. Surprisingly, there is a deeper plot online, but both are limited to the stories of villagers in town. Online you hear of a legendary black dragon, and you are mentioned more as your prominence grows as a hunter. While undertaking quests, however, there simply is no plot whatsoever; this doesn't keep Monster Hunter from being one of the best games yet; a game so focused on online play shouldn't have to rely much on a storyline. In essence, you create your own plot as you begin a lowly hunter, rising through the ranks to become a Monster Hunter. Your ultimate goal is the betterment of your character and the acquisition of new armors and weapons, as well as the self-gratification earned after a kill.

Gameplay: 8/10

The controls seem somewhat crude in certain aspects of the game, namely those of the great-sword users with their limited range of attacks. Players are ridden with horrible camera angles consistently through several areas in each quest, most of which bring them a costly defeat. These are fairly minor quibbles, as the remainder of Monster Hunter's gameplay works well. The game works as an unconventional action RPG; gone is the classic leveling of Final Fantasy fame, replaced by equippable armor and weapons created from mined ores and monster parts, to place more emphasis on player skill over character strength. Experience is given from each quest to level up a character's Hunter Rank (HR); attaining a certain HR gives access to more difficult quests and rarer items. All monsters can be killed and carved for meat or parts, which in turn serve some use, whether it be for forging weapons or for creating items to be used in quests.

There is a sense of repetition in this game due to the fact that creating equipment requires killing a monster more than once; furthermore, the variety of monsters in the game is rather limited (you will encounter nearly all of the monsters available in the game very early on). However, the pursuit of rare items and equipment eliminates any sense of boredom in this game. The controls are quite sensitive; for many weapons, combos work faster if you pace yourself rather than mashing the analog stick. For the most part, online lag is minimal, and when it does occur, it usually corrects itself with time.

Graphics: 9/10

Throughout my experience with this game, there have only been two real points where I have noticed the beautiful graphics: when I first started playing the game and when I finished all of my quests. Look around an area and you will notice the small nuances that went into the graphical development of this game. In the distance a towering plateau looms amidst glorious waterfalls trailing into meandering streams in the plains below. Pure white clouds hover above the clear area just outside a volcano, and a grey pillar of smoke rises slowly from the ground. The backgrounds of the areas are amazingly designed, and it is easy to take them for granted once you have played the game for a while. However, through some repetition, you will be forced to take notice of the grandeur that this game provides; one cannot deny that the views portray the world to be much bigger than it actually is, and it is this world that monster hunters will first step foot into to begin their journey.

This game's graphics are not only in its sightseeing, however. The character models are well-designed and realistic, and there are hundreds of equipment items to fit them. The monsters are designed to provide a mix of detail and unmistakable identification. There are plenty of response animations for every monster, and every animation flows fluidly from one to another when a character attacks. Every combo is a stream of attacks, rather than the cut-and-paste animations that frequent other games. The graphics here are no joke.

Sound: 7/10

Upon the first couple hours of this game, it is easily observable that this game has a somewhat lacking soundtrack. Intro music plays upon the beginning of each quest depending on which zone you're in, and the rest of the quest is devoid of music until you encounter a large monster. Each zone has its own "battle music," and it gives a more active feel to the quest. One may argue that the game would have been much more effective had music been playing throughout the entire quest, and they may be somewhat right. On the other hand, the simplicity of sounds of nature adds to the realism of the game. The value of the sound in this game is a truly a matter of personal preference.

Replayability: 10/10

As I, and hundreds of other players who have attained the highest level in this game, can tell you, this game does not pall easily. By the time you finish all the normal quests, you will easily have had 150 hours of play time logged on your character (more if you had taken your time). This game was created to be played online, and the party-based quests are a large reason for why this game can be played over and over without losing the interest of its players. The pursuit of rare items with three friends is never a bad thing, and this game certainly got the online part right. For offline players, it may get quite lonely. However, there are more than enough quests (close to 50) to keep you busy. Expect to play this game for a long time.

Final Score: 9/10*

*Note: This is not an average

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/10/05